When The Heavens Unfold
by Everlasting Life
Summary: Sam took a deep breath and squeezed Bumblebee's hand. Bumblebee didn't want to say goodbye. Bumblebee couldn't say goodbye. Sam knew this. "You'll always be my first car, man." Sam smiled, "I love you, Bee." -2011-
1. Silent Cries

**~When the Heavens Unfold~**

**Chapter I: Silent Cries  
><em>{Prologue}<em>  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Rating: <strong>_T_

**Characters: **_Bumblebee/Barricade_

**Summary: **_"If... If anything were to happen to us, I want you to take care of our Logyn Rose," Sam finished. He felt a light touch on his arm as he noticed Carly's nod. He smiled and looked into his rear view mirror at the lovely sight of his first born sleeping the day away as if there wasn't a worry in the world..._

**Author's Note: **_After watching the third Transformers movie, I had so many new story ideas, but this one stuck out the most. Here's the first chapter! Please enjoy and tell me what you think of it! Thank you! Oh! And by the way... some people are saying that I spelled Logan wrong, however, you can spell it the way I have it written in the story. (Look it up lol) Enjoy!_

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><p>"You did good, baby; you did good."<p>

Sam reached over with his free hand, the other still gripping the steering wheel, and grazed his fingers across his wife's left cheek. Carly leaned her head towards him and smiled weakly. She rested her head against the seat while reaching her hand back to touch her newborn's soft, ruffled hair. It wasn't much of a head of hair, but the soft peach fuzz was enough to tickle her fingertips.

"You know, we were supposed to call your mother," Carly laughed. Sam moved his hand back on the steering wheel and laughed.

"Yeah right. I swear, the first thing we're going to when we get home is move... to a different state," Sam quickly added on.

"We don't live that close to them," Carly smirked. Sam jerked his head towards her in shere surprise.

"Seriously, what kind of drugs did they give you while you were in labor? We live two blocks away for crying out loud," he joked.

"Very funny, Sam," Carly scoffed. She flipped her phone out of her hand back and scanned through her seemingly abundant messages. "I have seventeen new voicemails from the gang back at the base. Check your phone."

"Babe, I'm driving. Here," Sam gave Carly his phone and she scanned through the messages like before. "You have a total of twelve. Mhm... guess they like me better."

Sam just shook his head. He couldn't helpt the smile that was so frequently growing on his face everyday. He flipped the switch for the windshield wipers to scrape across the glass just as a million drops of water began to splatter across the highway. Sam felt a perge of joy envelope in his chest when a soft trill of juggling cries filled the backseat of the car. He turned his rear view mirror to the right and saw the precious face of his first born, Logyn Rose.

"She's beautiful, just like her mother," Sam said. Carly let out a silent laugh when Sam's phone rang all of a sudden. Carly answered it while sticking a pacifire in the small child's mouth, silencing her immediately.

"Hello?" came Carly's voice. She smiled and turned towards her husband, "It's Optimus."

"Hey boss man!" Sam shouted happily, "Hey, put them on speaker."

"Sam, Carly, it is good to hear from you both," Optimus said. There was another small, sweet whimper from the back seat. "And it is certainly a blessing to add an additional lifeform to the family."

"Her name is Logyn Rose Witwicky," Carly chimed in. There were many comments of excitement and approval omitting from the other end of the line.

"What a fitting name!"

"Sounds as crazy as Witwicky..."

"Wait, is she a girl or not? Logyn? Oh wait..."

All of these things made Carly laugh with relief. Hearing the many voices of the Autbots on the other line made Logyn squeal with delight. Sam just shook his head when a staticy voice came online.

"Yes! I've got a real job now!" Bumblebee's static voice was projected almost perfectly.

Sam nodded. His best friend would always be his guardian. He would always be his first car. There was a sickening pang in his stomach; kind of like the butterfly feeling you get when you're nervous. A heart warming appeal clenched his heart as the memories of his best friend, as the memories of their adventures swarmed through his head. He gripped the steering wheel tighter as warm tears threatened to escape.

"Yeah, Bee. You've just been premoted," Sam laughed. He collected his composure and rubbed his hand firmly across the his mustached chin, "I want you to watch over her, Bee. Optimus, Ratchet, Sideswipe, I want you to keep an eye on her too." Sam cut a glance to Carly. She had her baby blue eyes planted firmly on him. Her soft gaze made his heart jump before he finished what he had started to say.

"If-If anything were to happen to us, I want you to take care of our Logyn Rose," Sam finished. He felt a light touch on his arm as he noticed Carly's nod. He smiled and looked into his rear view mirror at the lovely sight of his first born sleeping the day away as if there wasn't a worry in the world.

"You can be sure of it, Sam," Optimus' voice rumbled, "We await your arrival with great anticipation. Optimus out."

The rest of the trip home was silent. The constant rainfall pattered across the windows while the baby slept in the back. Carly had drifted off to sleep as well. Even Sam felt his eyes beginning to droop with sleepiness. The roads were slick with splotches of ice while traffic began to thicken. He would check on his baby girl every chance he got. Her chubby cheeks buldged out from the rest of her face and her long eye lashes laces perfectly around her walnut-shaped eyes.

He saw her face and quickly caught sight of his own reflection in the glass before him. His hair was ruffled and his mustache was unshaved and scraggly. He was a grown man now; a father; a provider for his wife and child. As he remembered all the adventures that he had with the Autobot's, he couldn't help but laugh. When he was kid, those had always been the good days, but now, they seemed unreal.

Everytime he saw the Autobot's, though, it all changed.

He was growing older, while everyone else seemed to freeze. Everything around him was moving at a much faster pace, while he was just trying to keep up. The Autobot's were more respected now than they had ever been before in their long years on Earth. Bumblebee was always gone though, training Special Forces souldiers. Optimus was advicing nation leaders as well as taking care of his own kind. The others, he rarely saw either.

Though they were apart, Sam could always feel the gap in his heart fill with the memories he had created with them. They were his family, but different somehow. His only wish now, was that they would somehow forget about him and protect his dream: his baby girl. Sam let out a low snicker. The best times of his life were always surrounded by the Autobots. He couldn't explain it, but they were something to him that he couldn't express in words.

"Oh s*it!" Sam slammed on breaks while red lights filled his vision. Some idiot had pulled out in front of him while it was pouring rain! He swurved to the right just in time so he wouldn't hit the car in front of him. He calmed down just as traffic began to move steadily again. He smirked when an arroused Carly glared at him.

"Sam, please, we have a new born," she warned. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Tell that to the idiot that just pulled out in front of me," Sam retorted. Carly rubbed her hands together as chill bumps swept across her skinny arms. Sam reached for the heating system controls, but she stopped him.

"No, it's alright, I'm fine. I know how you get cranky when you're hot," she said, shaking her head. Sam rolled his eyes and reached for the buttons again.

"Carly, you just had a baby. I want you to be comfortable. Why do you have to be so stubborn?" Sam asked. She crossed her arms and surrendered.

"Because, _Sam_, I just had a baby," she snapped.

"You're right, you're right, I'm sorry," Sam said after the car became silent again. Carly unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned across the dashboard to kiss her husband on the cheek, instantly forgiving him.

"Once we get home, I was thinking we should make Optimus the go- WATCH OUT!" screamed Carly as she pointed to her right.

Sam was too late. He pressed his foot against the break, but the vehicle had already rammed into the side of their car. Sam's seatbelt caught him, while the air bag hit him in the face, but just before his vision was completely impared, the last image of his wife filled his sight. She flew through the windshield and rolled across the hood of the car, sending shattered glass in all directions.

"Carly!" Sam shouted, his heart pounding inside his chest.

He fumbled to his side to yank his seatbelt out. He slapped the air bag away from his face when he suddenly reached up to his cheek. His nose was gushing blood. Rain hit the hood of the car, washing away the trails of blood, while bouncing up and hitting him in the face. He strained himself to look over to his wife, lying motionless on the ground.

"Carly!" Sam shouted again, but she still did not move.

Sam quickly looked behind him and placed his bloody and bruised hand on his daughter's cheek, "Everything is going to be alright, I promise. I'm going to get you out of here, alright baby?"

Sam reached for his jammed seatbelt again, yanking and pulling it with all his might. He eyed the pieces of glass shoved violently in his arm, but he gave no immediate response to them. He suddenly looked back at his baby again, but the glass never made it to the back seat. She had a few scratched from her own seatbelt, but nothing he was completely concerned with at the moment.

Sam continued to free himself, getting more frustrated. He reached for his cell phone, but it was in the floor board of the passenger's seat. Sam's eyes filled with burning tears when the swift sounds registered at the last moment. Screeching wheels against the slick, icey pavement, and blistering lights filled his surroundings. He was unable to make a second move just as another car smashed into his side, shattering the glass and crushed his door.

His body ached with horrifying pain when he felt a warm liquid oozing down his leg. One of his eyes were succomed by a red fog, while the other half of his body was completely numb. He choked on his own breath just as the air in his lungs vanished. Sam's lips were busted and as he opened his mouth to speak, nothing but blood poured out from his injured body.

A baby's muffled cry fulfilled his dying ears...


	2. Lifetime

**~When the Heavens Unfold~**

**Chapter II: Lifetime  
><em>{Immediately after accident}<em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Rating: <strong>_T_

**Characters: **_Bumblebee/Barricade_

**Summary: **_"If... If anything were to happen to us, I want you to take care of our Logyn Rose," Sam finished. He felt a light touch on his arm as he noticed Carly's nod. He smiled and looked into his rear view mirror at the lovely sight of his first born sleeping the day away as if there wasn't a worry in the world..._

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><p>"Mom!" whined a seven year old diva, shaking her pig-tales from side to side in frustration, "Blake won't stop bothering me!"<p>

"Blake, if I have to tell you to stop aggravating your sister one more time, you'll be grounded for a week. Got it?" the boy's mother scolded. Blake scoffed, letting his mouth hang wide open in shock.

"But mama, I'm not bothering her," he snickered.

"Yes, he is. He keeps poking me!" the diva defended her position.

"Both of you cut it out." Their mother was about to blow a blood vessel from what stress they had caused during the trip.

"Oh my god," breathed a man sitting in the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel in horror.

The mom jerked her head away from the kids in the back seat and strained her eyes to peer through the glass, spattered with incoming water droplets. The storm hadn't let up since they'd gotten on the highway. She squinted to see a faint figure lying motionless on the ground. Gasping, the woman clasped her hand over her mouth and told her husband to pull over on the side of the road behind the wrecked vehicle. Just as soon as he put the car into park, the man jumped out and sprinted through the rain to observe the seemingly lifeless body.

"Both of you, stay in the car," the mom quickly spat out her orders and mimicked her husband.

Rain continued to beat down on their faces while soaking their clothing. It was almost midnight their time, so there was hardly any traffic at all. The woman was hesitant, a terrified hand placed on her chest, as she approached her husband who was hovering over the figure on the ground. Just when she got close, the woman could already see a thick trail of blood and water channeling down into the grass beside them. Her husband's hands were stained with the thick substance as he was trying to feel for a pulse.

"Go check the car!" he said, pointing a stained red finger at the smashed and obliterated cars involved in the accident.

She approached a blue glazed mustang. She tried to open the passenger's seat door, but it wouldn't budge. She cupped both of her hands against the window to look inside, but she couldn't see anything. The car was empty. Immediately, she assumed it was a hit and run. She tried the other car, white and in worse condition than the first automobile. The storm surrounding the couple was only intensifying. The woman could have sworn she heard her husband yelling her name, but over the the blistering rain pounding forcefully on the metal cars, it sounded like a steam-engine train driving by.

The woman felt a jolt of panic when she saw a man in the white car, head leaning over the dashboard and side crushed against the door. She moved closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking it firmly. He didn't respond. Instantly, the woman grabbed for her phone slid tightly in her jacket pocket. She dialed 911 and waited for an answer.

_"911, what is your emergency?"_ the receiver asked.

"There's been an accident! Two cars involved. There's a man and a woman. The woman flew through the windshield and the man is unconscious in the driver's seat. There both unconscious!" the woman's words ran together, panic getting the best of her.

_"Whoa, slow down, ma'am. Where are you?" _

"Highway 78, a good six miles down. It's storming so I don't know exactly where we are," The woman said, turning her head from here to there, searching for some road signs.

_"We're sending an ambulance your way."_

The woman hung up instantly, worrying that the man and woman's time was running thin. Scared out of her mind, she checked on her kids before running to her husband. Just as she gained two more steps, he stood and a grave expression crossed his face. Clasping her hands against her face and shaking her head, the woman looked from the woman in the ground to her husband, warm tears stinging her eyes. The man placed his hands on his hips and sighed so loud, his wife could hear it through the howling of the rain.

The next few minutes of waiting felt like a lifetime; no... three lifetimes.

Only two pieces of evidence were found: a watch and a cell phone. Bumblebee didn't receive a call from the police until the next morning...


	3. A Guardian and His Charge

**~When the Heavens Unfold~**

**Chapter III: A Guardian and His Charge_  
><em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Rating: <strong>_T_

**Characters: **_Bumblebee/Barricade_

**Summary: **_"If... If anything were to happen to us, I want you to take care of our Logyn Rose," Sam finished. He felt a light touch on his arm as he noticed Carly's nod. He smiled and looked into his rear view mirror at the lovely sight of his first born sleeping the day away as if there wasn't a worry in the world..._

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><p>"No one could have seen this coming; whether it was an accident," Ironhide paused, shaking his head in disbelief, "Or intentional."<p>

There was no response.

"It wasn't you're fault," he continued, his voice deep, yet careful not to disturb any of the other visitors in the waiting room. He stood there, unable to get comfortable in the hard-cushioned seat, consulting with the young scout he'd met many years ago.

There was still no response.

"Bumblebee, you have to listen to me. It wasn't you're fault. You can't see the future and there was nothing you could have done to prevent any of this from happening."

Ironhide stopped, feeling a deep choke lagging in his throat. He took a step back, leaning against the dingy colored walls, and observed the young man that sat beside him. Bumblebee was hunched over, one hand pressed firmly into the other, while his chin rested on him. His holoform displayed a pale tint in his expression. Anyone could have guessed he was sick in some sort of way. Bumblebee's leg was bouncing up and down frantically while his eyes searched around the room for something. Ironhide knew he better than a lot of the bots he knew, and he knew that Bumblebee was trying to keep his mind off of the _what if's _and his talking was probably making it worse. So Ironhide, being especially considerate of his bruised feelings, decided to hold back any other comment that might come to mind. Instead, he let him sit in silence, as did the other bots on the waiting room.

Bumblebee, holoform eyes glistening with a soft glaze of tears, only shook his head. He felt more responsible than any other bot should have felt. Sam and Carly were his charges and the baby was supposed to be a happy addition. He had no apposing idea of adding someone else to the family.

But he knew from that day on, he would always have a heart shattering tug in his spark when he remembered Sam. This part of the bond was a curse. Bumblebee knew the minute something had gone wrong. He would have known if any of them had died, but Bumblebee rejected any sort of reaction or feeling to the change in bond. That's all it was. If something happened to a charge of a guardian, he would feel something in his gut, as the humans would say.

But he would never forget, if it was true - if Sam truly was no more, that he was his first charge.

Sam would always be his first charge; his first friend. There would always be that longing void to see him again. Bumblebee would never forget the time when Sam told him he'd always be his first car. Bumblebee would never forget the time when Sam asked him to be the first man in his wedding. Bumblebee would never forget that priceless expression Sam gave him when he was chasing him, following him through yards and such, to get him to meet the other Autobots. He would never forget the time when Sam flipped over on his mother's bike. He would never forget the most hilarious screams that Sam would omit when he'd transform with him inside the car.

But through these passing years, Bumblebee knew that Sam was growing older. He knew that his Sam was growing up. He had to since he had a family to care for. Still, Bumblebee missed the good ol' days when messing around was habit and not occasion. He missed hiding in Sam's dad's garage all the time. Yes, Bumblebee always missed fighting Decepticons and kicking their rusty plates, but there was just something else about missing the friend that made him a guardian.

Bumblebee would always be able to fight Decepticons, but he could never relive the memories that he made with Sam ever again.

Bumblebee suddenly began to regret going off on all of the extra military missions that were completely optional for him. He had told Sam that he had to go on all of them, when in reality he just needed a break from guardianship. He regretted it now. He wished he could have spent those last few years being there for Sam, even though he didn't really need him. Bumblebee wished that for just one second, he could relive the glory days. Just him and Sam, two kids looking for mischief, not a care in the world; just a Guardian and his Charge.

"I'm his mother, now tell me where he is!" shouted an old, raspy voice.

Bumblebee looked up from the ground in which he'd been staring, only to see the two people he could never forget no matter how hard he tried. Judy had one hand on her hip while cradling her designer purse on her arm. Bee could recognize that voice anywhere. Though he was never assigned to watch after Sam's parents, he had always felt the need to check in on them every once in awhile. They stood, hand in hand, at the front desk, but, like before when the bots asked about Sam and Carly, the woman waved them off and pointed to the waiting room.

"I can't believe this. That is ridiculous. You should file a complaint you know," Judy said to her husband. Bumblebee sat up in his chair when Judy sat beside him. He was tickled by the fact that they didn't even recognize the bots in their holoforms.

"Don't take it personally. They told us the same thing," Chromia said quietly while approaching the frantic mother. At first, Judy had no idea who she was, but when realization struck her, Bumblebee noticed the all too familiar expression; one that Sam would often express.

"Oh thank God! I had no idea you were here already!" Judy exclaimed, jumping up and pulling Chromia's petite holoform into a much needed hug.

"Bumblebee was the first to know. He got a phone call this morning around two o'clock," Chromia explained. Bumblebee stood up and waited next to Ironhide so Judy would have a seat to calmly converse with Chromia.

Bumblebee wasn't sure how long they waited, but they did. For hours and hours it seemed like. It wasn't until the next morning that a nurse came into the waiting room holding a cup of coffee in one hand and cradling a clip board on her hip in the other hand. He was the first to notice her, Ironhide being the next. She scanned through the lists on her paper before walked towards Sam's parents. Judy immediately sprung up from her seat to meet the nurse halfway.

"Are you Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky?"

"Yes, yes of course. Why? Can we see our son now, please?" Judy practically begged. The nurse told her to calm down and lower her voice.

"I need to speak with you in private." The was the nurse's only reply. She lead them off down another hall and Bumblebee felt sick to his stomach. It was deeper than sick though, it was unbearable; a feeling that couldn't be described in words.

Suddenly another nurse walked in and addressed the Autobot group as a whole. She called out a name that he had not heard in a very long time.

"Christian? Is there a Christian Dale?" she asked. Bumblebee was nudged by Ironhide, jerking him out of his thoughts.

"I'm Christian Dale," Bumblebee replied, his voice cracking in hesitation.

"Please follow me," the nurse said with a nod, turning around swiftly and starting down a long, dimly-lit hallway.

"Can't we come as well?" Chromia jumped up, calling after the nurse.

"I'm sorry, only one is permitted at a time," the nurse said apologetically.

Bumblebee didn't have enough energy to give Chromia a sorry look. He followed the nurse and as he passed each room, containing who knows what, he tried to prepare himself for whatever he was about to see or hear. His mind was racing with unpleasant images. What if she showed him Sam or Carly's body? What if they were alive but in such bad condition they wouldn't last the night? Their bones crushed, skin bruised, and hair tattered? Bumblebee, as he tried to keep up with the nurse, tried to reason with himself. What would be worse, your best friend having survived but wont live through the night, or your best friend already being dead? Bumblebee forced the thoughts out of his head. He felt sicker and sicker with each turn the nurse would make down another, darker hall.

He decided to shut down his memory processor all together. Immediately after doing so, he noticed a soft, barely detectable cry; no cries. He couldn't tell where they were coming from, but he knew they were drawing closer to the source. Bumblebee realized that he had been ringing his hands, so he quickly shoved them in his pockets. Finally, the lady dressed in green lead him to a room with clear walls, inside he saw dozens and dozens of small beds. On them slept new born babies. Bumblebee felt his jaw drop in shock. His heart was racing and he could barely stand on his two feet. The nurse opened the door and walked into the room, but Bumblebee stopped in the doorway. The nurse never even noticed him.

"What should I do?" Bumblebee whispered to himself.

He groped one side of the doorway and refused to let go as he watched the woman walk all the way at the end of the row on the far side of the dark room. As soon as she looked at the baby inside the bed, she turned and motioned for Bumblebee to enter the room. He hesitated, but finally took one step at a time. He made sure his strides were soft, careful as to not wake up the children. He glanced at each baby as he passed them. One had a bright orange lock of hair while the other had freckles sprinkled from forehead to chin. He couldn't help but smile as most of the slept with their bottoms reclined in the air.

Before he knew it, Bumblebee had reached the end of the row where the nurse was waiting for him.

Bumblebee felt that same pang of guilt and hurt as his eyes traveled up the cradle. A white band was around the baby's wrist. _Logyn Rose. _Her fingers were curled up onto a tight fist as she held them above her head. Her soft, pale skin was flawless, the surface just beginning to sprout peach fuzz. He smiled when he saw her toes curled up as well. Bumblebee could have sworn he heard the nurse say something before she left, but it was muffled and, in all honesty, he didn't care. How could he when the most beautiful thing in the world was resting peacefully right before his eyes?

He took one hand out of his jean pocket and placed one finger on the bottom of her foot. He traced a small pattern until she squirmed, just to see if she was ticklish. He softly snickered. He took his thumb and smoothed down her baby fat on her stomach, a thin line between her chest, then he stopped. Another regretful frown pressed his lips, while he began to quiver. His eyes stung with burning tears as he let his eyes fall upon her baby cheeks, a rosy pink. He let the back of his hand rub them. With the freezing atmosphere surrounding him, Bumblebee couldn't shake away the warn salty tears that dripped off of his chin and onto the soft fabric of the baby bed.

She was perfect.

Carefully taking out his other hand, he cupped the small baby, from head to toe, in his hands. He lifted her up until she was pressed firmly against his chest. He kept her there, gently rocking back and forth, not too fast and not too slow. Suddenly, Bumblebee started to panic. The baby fluttered her eyes open and looked up only to see a stranger. Not her mother. Not her father. Only a stranger. Her lips quivered in fear and she cautiously began to cry. Her cry was muffled and soft, but heartbreaking.

"No, no, no, it's okay," Bumblebee whispered, bringing his face down to her's as he cradled her once again. "You have nothing to be a afraid of."

The baby did not stop crying, though. He quickly thought of an idea to calm her down. He flipped through the memory files of the audio he'd collected over the years. He looked around the room, realizing that he was still alone, and picked a random file to play.

_"You'll always be my first car, man...I love you, Bee." _

Bumblebee looked up in surprise as the audio played. His chest was sore and his eyes still stung from the tears; tears that were now rekindling. As he held the bundle of joy in his hands, he felt a small pressure enveloping around his thumb. The baby had instantly wrapped her tiny fingers around it for comfort as...her father's voice played. Over and over and over again.

_"You'll always be my first car, man...I love you, Bee." _

The tape recording would grow fuzzy with static at the end, rewind, and play again.

_"You'll always be my first car, man...I love you, Bee." _

Silently, with the baby as his only witness, Bumblebee, Sam's watchful guardian and silent protector, wept.


	4. Not This Time

**~When the Heavens Unfold~**

**Chapter IV: Not This Time**

* * *

><p><strong>Rating: <strong>_T_

**Characters: **_Bumblebee/Barricade_

**Summary: **_"If... If anything were to happen to us, I want you to take care of our Logyn Rose," Sam finished. He felt a light touch on his arm as he noticed Carly's nod. He smiled and looked into his rear view mirror at the lovely sight of his first born sleeping the day away as if there wasn't a worry in the world..._

**Author's Note: **_Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! You're support has been fantastic! Thank you!__ Enjoy!_

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><p>"I'll come back to get you later," Bumblebee whispered to the baby as she slowly drifted off back to sleep, "I promise."<p>

The nurse, smiling and tilitng her head, waited patiently for Bumblebee to finish saying his temporary goodbyes. She was probably used to giving people their precious time with newborns. It was a moment too sweet to interrupt. The nurse was acting from experience. After Bumblebee had documented his last look at his new responsibility, his new life, his new...Sam, Bumblebee reluctantly pulled himself away from the baby cradle and followed the nurse back down the hall. He saw the same corner to which the waiting room would be and prepared himself to enter a room full of wondering bots and eager parents. But the nurse never lead him to the waiting room. Instead they walked past it and down another hall.

The nurse was walking very briskly; as if, Bumblebee observed, she wanted to get this over with. He kept his distance though. Where was she taking him? What would he see? It was a complete repeat of what he'd felt when she was leading him down dark and eerie hallways as before. Finally, her sqeecky, white shoes slid to a stop and she turned to face him. He took one more long stride before he was only a foot away from her. She looked desperate.

"He doesn't have a lot of time, so I'd make it quick. I'll ask the others to leave for you," the nurse offered. Without a pause between her words, she turned to open the door, but Bumblebee slammed his hand against the door, making her jump in surprise.

"Hold on. What is this?" Bumblebee asked, but he already knew the answer to his own question, but refused to believe. The nurse took a deep breath before continuing.

"Christian, we were able to keep Sam in a stable condition, but it's only temporary. The doctors say there's nothing else they can do for him," she stopped when the look on Bumblebee's face crushed her heart. He stopped breathing and stared at the floor as if he were about to fall a great distance. "I'm sorry," she added before walking into the room.

Bumblebee knew that a weeping mob had passed him. He even felt the numb touch of a few hands. He knew their ententions were good, but he wished that they would have just left him be. Bumblebee wasn't prepared, as much as he wanted to say he was, for this. Bumblebee clenched his chest, crinkling his holoformic shirt. He cut his eyes to the right where he saw a small dark room. He knew what was inside but he was afraid. He wondered if this was how Sam felt when he thought he was going to be executed by the Decepticons when they were held hostage. Sam had thought he was going to have to watch Bumblebee being murdered; Right in front of him. Sam had felt helpless.

Bumblebee felt helpless.

There was nothing he could possibly do to save Sam.

Not this time.

With quivering hands, Bumblebee entered the room, groping the walls for support as he made his way through the miniature hall. It seemed like years before Bumblebee entered the clearing where he was exposed to an uncomfortable-looking bed, surrounded by life support machines. The only sound omitted from the room was a soft string of muffled breaths and the constant sound of beeping. It was the only thing letting Bumblebee know that Sam was still alive. Bumblebee tried, with all of the strength he could muster up, not to look at the bruised figure that lay before him. But he had to face the first owner he had ever encountered; the first boy to try him; the first human that shared his adventures; the first man he'd ever looked up to. Bumblebee walked over to the side of the bed. A chair had already been placed out for him.

"Hey, buddie," Bumblebee hummed while sitting on the edge of the chair. He wasn't even used to the sound of his own voice yet.

Sam made a strong effort to open his eyes and offer a weak smile.

"Hey, Bee. Wow. Pretty handsome human you got goin' on there," Sam laughed, but it was weak. Bumblebee kept a smile on his face, attempting to hide his bitter sadness.

"Thanks. It's a new thing Wheeljack invented before..." Bumblebee suddenly stopped. He dared not even think the word. Luckily, Sam knew what he meant and nodded.

"It's pretty cool," Sam smiled, "What can Autobots not do?"

Bumblebee chuckled and shrugged his shoulders for the first time. He looked at Sam for a long while. He'd never seen so many cuts, bruises, and burns before. He had never seen Sam as anything but energetic and obnoxious. But here he was, laying in a bed, out of energy and the will to live any longer. Bumblebee shook his head and took Sam's hand, seemingling the only thing that wasn't patched up, into his own hand without even realizing it.

"Are you comfortable?" Bumblebee suddenly blurted out, trying to feel the awkward silence that had come between them.

"I'm alright," Sam shrugged. Bumblebee nodded in consideration.

Bumblebee didn't know what to say to his friend.

"Bee, I just wanted to let you know-" Bumblebee's lips parted slightly and he braced himself for the words to follow. The words he wished away. The words that made his heart ache.

"-I just wanted to let you know that I've had fun. You've made my life unforgettable and wherever I go after this," Sam choked, "I'm sure I'll check up on you from time to time."

Bumblebee could only nod so that the quivering of his bottom lip couldn't be seen; So that his watering eyes could be over-looked.

"Sure, Carly has made my life somethin' else; she's done so much for me and made my life worth-while," Sam added quickly, his smile fading, "But I'll never forget you. I'll never forget my first car."

Bumblebee felt the pain Sam felt.

"Remember that time when Mojo peed on Ironhide?" Sam said, the ends of his lips curling up into a grin.

Bumblebee burst out into laughter, turning his head up towards the ceiling in pure delight. "Yeah! I do remember that! And when Optimus stepped on your dad's fountian and you wigged out?"

"Oh man, that night was awful!" Sam said, taking his other bandaged hand and slapping his forehead.

It was Bumblebee's turn to talk.

"Sam," Bumblebee said solidly, his voice prejected almost perfectly. "You're always going to have a special place in my spark. You're never going to be just that boy who I had to protect just because you owned an item that was important to the Autobot faction. You're never going to be just that kid that rode in me or owned my keys, even though they didn't work unless I made them work."

Sam laughed.

"You're always going to be...so much more, Sam. I chose to protect you, not because I had to or because it was an order, but because I wanted to. Because I saw something in you that I didn't in any other human."

Sam shook his head in confusion, "What?"

"...A spark," Bumblebee whispered truthfully. Sam's eyes were red. He knew he wouldn't be around for much longer and he melted at those words. Bumblebee saw his eyes glisten with tears.

"Bee, I need you to take care of her," Sam said as if out of breath. Bumblebee glanced down at the floor for a long time before looking up to the face of a desperate father. "I want you to be her guardian. Just like you were for me."

"I will."

"I know," Sam said quietly.

"She's got your looks, you know?" Bumblebee said, eyebrow cocked, and grin resurfacing.

"Really? I always thought she had Carly's good looks," Sam joked.

"She has your looks, but Carly's color," Bumblebee corrected.

"I'm sorry I didn't take you to college, Bee," Sam said with a sigh, "I wish I had." Bumblebee was about to say something in Sam's defence, but he didn't.

Sam took a deep breath and squeezed Bumblebee's hand.

Bumblebee didn't want to say goodbye.

Bumblebee couldn't say goodbye.

Sam knew this.

"You'll always be my first car, man." Sam said, placing his hand on the side of Bumblebee's face just like he had so many years ago. "I love you, Bee."


	5. Thin Air

**~When the Heavens Unfold~**

**Chapter V: Thin Air**

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><p><strong>Rating: <strong>_T_

**Characters: **_Bumblebee/Barricade_

**Summary: **_"If... If anything were to happen to us, I want you to take care of our Logyn Rose," Sam finished. He felt a light touch on his arm as he noticed Carly's nod. He smiled and looked into his rear view mirror at the lovely sight of his first born sleeping the day away as if there wasn't a worry in the world..._

**Author's Note: **_For those who actually read my chapters, I presented a lot of history and background events in this chapter. I just wanted to go ahead and tell you so you're not confused when you read it. With that being said, please enjoy! _

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><p>"And who is the appointed guardian of the family pertaining to Samuel and Carly Witwicky?" the judge freely asked. Bumblebee stood up from his chair with a quick wave of his hand.<p>

"I am," he said, loud and clear. The judge looked him over from above her reading glasses, pursed her lips, and returned her keen eyes to a packet of papers flipped out in her hands.

Bumblebee surrendered to her short glare. He shuffled his sweaty hands back into his pockets and resumed his place - his butt firmly planted in the uncomfortable wooden chair. He slouched, not caring in the least bit about looking proper in any fashion. His holoform probably detected the lack of recharge his body got the night before at the hospital because he didn't get any sleep, so there were probably large, gray circles under his eyes. His holoformic hair was probably ruffled and his clothes were probably crinkled. There was only one thing keeping him motivated today and that was Logyn. He'd fight for her. He'd fight with everything he had to care for her. Just like he'd promised her father and mother.

The judge addressed Sam's parents next. Judy stood even before the judge called out her and her husband's name.

"And you are Sam's parents?" the judge asked, clearly alarmed by Judy's odd sense of exotic style in fashion and the shabby looks of her husband, Ronald.

"Yes we are, your honor," Judy confirmed out of breath. Ron placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a look that clearly told her to calm down.

"It says here that before Sam and Carly's unfortunate passing the appointed guardian of the child is legally the one they have chosen, being Christian," the large woman said, taking her pen and pointing at the young man sitting on the opposite side of the courtroom.

"But we're family," Judy protested. The judge nodded on understanding.

"Yes, Mrs. Witwicky, I know, but it was in Samuel's will," the judge defended. Silently, Bumblebee was snickering.

"So you're just going to hand over the baby? ...Just like that?" Judy blurted out again, chomping on a barbecue chip she'd brought along in her purse. The judge was losing her patience. She rolled her eyes and sighed, sliding off her glasses and rubbing her aching temples.

"Mrs. Witwicky, we will have to observe the living style of Mr. Dale, confirming that he lives in a safe environment, before we allow the child to live with him as an appointed guardian," the judge said, cutting her eyes across the room to where Bumblebee sat without a word.

Bumblebee sat up straight when he heard this semi-alarming news. He wasn't familiar with this human custom and was now struck with fear as to whether he would be able to prove that she would be living in a a safe environment. He quickly rose one finger into the air to gain the judge's attention. She nodded, giving him a speaking right.

"Excuse me, what are the requirements?" Bumblebee asked.

"You must have documented proof of the state in which you permanently reside in. You must have documented proof of your residency for one year. You must sustain a home. You must have a legal plan for the up-bringing of the child, educational and such. You must be regularly employed to support the child. You must not be involved in drug abuse, alcohol abuse, or physical abuse in any way. That will not be tolerated," she read off the list, "Do you object?"

Bumblebee's face was radiated fear and anxiety as the pale tint in his expression spoke for him. His hands had a death grip on the edge of the desk in front of him and his knees were stiff in an ache. He wasn't sure how he was going to get all of these things in only three human days. He was a massive alien robot for crying out loud; he didn't exactly come prepared for any of this.

"No, I don't," Bumblebee stated proudly, drawing up what confidence he had left.

"Good. You have three days, after that given time, I will send someone to the address you send me and they will inform me of how you come to the requirements," the judge said.

With one final whack of her wooden dispute she uses to quiet the courthouse, she made her statement final. Standing up and gliding down the small set of steps from her desk, she offered her audience a swift smile before slipping out the back door. Bumblebee rubbed his eyes as they stung with dryness. He too slipped out from behind the desk and made his way to the pathway between the long row of empty benches. He was approached by Ron with a warm, lofty grin. His cheeks had become chubby with age in the past few years, but Bumblebee noticed, like he himself, that Ron had light circles under his eyes with a tint of redness glazed over his blue eyes. Sam had a place in his heart, next to where Sam's lay, for Ron and Judy; no matter how much he was freaked out by Judy's spastic, yet refreshing ways.

"I promised your son-" Bumblebee began to explain - he felt that he needed to explain why he wanted their granddaughter so much.

"I know," Ron said nodding his head, slipping his cold, wrinkly hands into his jacket pockets, "Samuel told me just before we left the hospital, yesterday."

Bumblebee couldn't help but feel a large gap of pain and guilt. Logyn was the only part of Sam that they could possibly hold onto and he felt as if he were steeling that away from them.

"Ron, your son, he was something else. The Autobots will never be able to show you just how much he meant to us," Bumblebee tried to comfort Ronald's thoughts. He wanted to make sure they knew that Sam wasn't just another human to them, because he wasn't. "He wasn't just our messenger." Ron glowered, trying to keep his face from revealing his true feelings of pain and loss; those feelings that make you want to cry until you can't anymore; those feelings that make you want to cry until it hurts too much to do any further.

"Thank you," Ron said, slipping his hand out and thumping his hand on the Bumblebee's back, rubbing it with some force, but not enough to make Bumblebee feel threatened. He knew it was a man's way of keeping his real feelings in contact; feelings that the public couldn't see; feelings that he was afraid of feeling.

"You're alright, you know that? I'm not sure I would have wanted anyone else to look after my son," Ron quickly added, escorting Bumblebee out of the courthouse and into the fresh air of downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles. Four years after it's destruction, the city stands as a brand new city, lively and bustling with people, just as it had before. It only took three years to rebuild, luckily, with the Autobot's help. They had worked frivolously to achieve their goal. Los Angeles stands, across the globe, as a highlight of the world. A place that was introduced to Armageddon by Decepticons. The city stands isolated, however, with a large sixty foot marble wall scaling around the entire structure of the city. Engraved on it is every single name of every person that was lost during the battle. A year later after it was reopen for entities to live among its streets once again, Sam and Carly moved into a small apartment and began their lives. Judy and Ron still live in New Jersey, in their small hometown where Sam was born and raised. And the Autobot base is still in Massachusetts where they share residence with the NEST team - their long-time friends and loyal allies.

"Despite yesterday's events," Ronald added after a long while of silence had come between them, "You did your job and I couldn't have asked more of you."

That same feeling of pain and guilt returned, but Bumblebee would never let them know why.

"Thank you, sir," Bumblebee smiled warmly, "Do you need me to take you home?"

"Nah," Ron shook his head, "Judy and I will be just fine."

"Are you sure? It's a long trip all the way back to New Jersey," Bumblebee said, feeling it necessary to provide whatever help he could to the family that just lost their only child, their daughter-in-law, and their only grandchild.

"Yeah. It'd be a good trip for the both of us. Don't you think, Judy?" Ron said wrapping one arm around his wife. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, snubbing her nose at Bumblebee.

"I don't know what you two are talking about, but I do know one thing," she paused for a dramatic effect, "You are never going to pass those requirements. We'll have custody of our granddaughter, not a crazy alien robot," she said waving her arms in a crazy-like manner. Ironic.

"Oh, Judy!" Ron whined, waving off her comment and pulling her down the stone steps towards their car parked at the curb. He waved one last time at Bumblebee, "Take care, now."

Bumblebee smirked and watched Sam's parents walk off, hand in hand. They were different, very different, than they were when Bumblebee had first become Sam's guardian. Back then, they were lively with color in their cheeks and a glint in their eyes. Judy's hair was ravishing with vibrant youthful color and volume. Ron on the other hand, for what hair he had back then, still possessed some color to it. Their strides and movements were more swift and sharp. When they spoke, their voices were crisp and clear. But now... they had seemed to age tremendously just within a few days. Maybe it was because of the untimely death of their son, Bumblebee wasn't sure. But he was sure, they he missed the old Judy and Ron.

Now, the faces that resumed color in their cheeks and glints in their eyes were all but gray and weathered. Their eyes always seemed to droop with tiredness and surround them were small laugh wrinkles. Their voices were weak and raspy. Judy was a little skinnier than she had been in the early days and Ronald was a little more plump around the gut. They swayed while they walked slowly to the car. However, Bumblebee observed, somethings never changed it seemed. Ron opened the passenger door for Judy and she got in with a quick smile as her thanks. After Ron started the car, put his blinker on, and joined the busy traffic of Los Angeles, he was gone, disappearing into a mesh of cars that seemed to blend together in their mass of color.

It was Bumblebee's turn to leave and rejoin with his friends; his family.

He began to walk, secretly curving his way into the crowded sidewalks, where people bustled about to work, talked on their phones, and talked with one another of pointless things that people tended to wrap their lives around. Their short lives. With hands in his jean pockets, Bumblebee slid past one person at a time until he was all the way next to the each passing building. He kept his head low and unrecognizable. He mentally fascinated himself with the fact that these people were walking along side a transformer without even knowing it. He felt a sense of dread: usually when a human saw a transformer, fully transformed and guns ablaze it meant trouble and they were right in the middle of it.

Darting to the left, Bumblebee fled down a clean alleyway. He'd never thought he'd see the day when there was a clean alley, but today was the day. Since the city was only a year old, new people were able to start over. He walked down the crossing and took another turn around a sharp corner until he saw the comforting sight of his own body in vehicle mode. He smiled, flipped his holoform off, and revved his engines. It felt good to be himself again. But, he felt...empty. He was so used to that compression in the driver or passenger seat that it had become a custom to his systems. He was used to feeling a pair of hands groping the steering wheel and, every once in awhile, gripping the mirror to check a reflection. Sighing, Bumblebee drove out into the traffic as well, heading home to Washington D.C. where the Autobots were waiting for him and the news he carried.

The Autobots were standing, side by side, around a large display that was being projected in a brilliantly clear blue color, from tiny port holes decorated the edges of a large, spherical table made of thick steel to hold the power generators inside. It was an old piece of Cybertronian technology that Sentinel Prime had handed over to Optimus before his betrayal. the projectors displayed a large structure twenty thousand feet below earth. It's location and temperature were displayed on the left hands side, just below the hologram picture, in English and Cybertronian language.

"Optimus, what are we looking at?" Ratchet asked, making his way over to the leader that hovered over to the hologram console: a series of elaborate buttons.

"This was part of the diagram that Lennox gave me after the battle in Egypt," Optimus began.

"...And?" Ratchet pried further.

"A heat bloom suddenly sparked through the structure. I've showed it to the Secretary of Defense and he had never seen it before," Optimus explained, watching the expression of his comrades.

"It's probably just a pyramid 'cause, you know, it's in Egypt..." Jolt said with a 'duh' expression.

"Why should we care anyways, Optimus? It's not our problem that their pyramids were buried by sand," Sideswipe whined while flicking bits of dirt off his shoulder, not caring a lick.

"It could be a threat to humanity," Optimus stated, like a true leader.

"We haven't seen one trace of the Decepticons for almost three years, Optimus. Our time here is over," Sideswipe scoffed.

"Cybertron is inhabitable. We can't go back," Ratchet explained.

"I've only been here a few months and I'm already hooked with this place. We can't leave. Earth is our home," Chromia added her two cents.

"All we've done is more harm since we've gotten here," Sideswipe slammed his fist on the hologram project, annoyed and frustrated.

"Perhaps, but we protect the humans, Sideswipe. We owe it to them," Optimus defended.

"What could we possibly owe them? They've done nothing for us," Sideswipe rose his voice.

"That's enough, Sides," Chromia tried to calm him down by putting her hand firmly on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"Sideswipe. It was our war but their planet. We were selfish to even allow it to come this far. They've offered us a home and in return we can only thank then by protecting them from any more unwanted alien wars," Optimus stomped his foot on the marble-tiled floor. Everyone was instantly silenced. "Besides, you as well as I know that we cannot return to Cybertron."

There was a solemn since of hurt and longing in the atmosphere now, radiating in all directions from every bot in the room. Sideswipe shook his head slowly, his eyes turning a shade grayer than the bright blue they once were. He walked towards the mechanical doors and they slid open with a violent his. He placed his hand on the doorpost, keeping the door open. With a long and loud sigh, he looked back at them over his shoulder.

"I know. I just...wish things could go back to normal. I wish I could go home," he whispered before leaving the vicinity. Just as he did, Bumblebee in his original mode walked into the room.

"What's going on?" Bumblebee transmitted through his radio. His voice processor was still a work-in-progress after all of these years.

"We'll discuss that later. It is good to have you back, Bumblebee. Do you have any news on the child's well being?"

"She's doing just great! The court and the jury were in an uproar and I was in the back watching the whole thing!" Bumblebee quoted what movie references he thought would relate to his response to Optimus. He then went on to tell them what all he needed in three days. They seemed unmoved by these things and were quite excited to have some part in the baby girl's life.

"I could contact Lennox and see what he can do about the housing arrangements and I'm sure he could send a request in about your permanent residence forms," Ratchet's scratchy voice chimed in. Their discussion went on further with some disputes on who each bot would represent in the child's life. In just a few minutes, they had their duties of what part they were going to help Bumblebee with. They gave Bumblebee good greetings as they left one after another out of the room. Optimus was about to leave Bumblebee to himself, but a smaller hand than his grabbed his wrist and pulled him back into the room.

"Optimus-ssttss-I need to speak with you," Bumblebee spoke with his own voice, though it was still clouded with static.

"Yes, Bumblebee, what is it?" Optimus asked, his tone deep and serious. Bumblebee rubbed the back of his neck before placing one hand on his hip and the other out to expression his body language in a very problematic way. He wanted to make his explanation quick and simple.

"Father, I just can't do it! I just can't do it anymore!" Bumblebee's radio transmitter said in a raised voice. "Optimus-ssttss-I think it would be best if-ssttss-" Bumblebee coughed away his static, "-if the child didn't know that we were...you know...transformers." Optimus was taken back by this, leaning back on his left foot, as if he were offended; however, he wasn't, just confused. Bumblebee braced for the bashing and lectures he might receive.

"Why? Do you think that would help with her up-bringing? She's going to find out, one way or another. We're not exactly a secret anymore," Optimus tried to reason. He truly planned on being part of her life. He wanted to see her grow, start to finish. He wanted to be there, at that moment, when she mimicked something Sam did when he was also a child. He wanted to observe the resemblance. He wanted to be her mentor or protector if she needed it. He wanted to have a human running around and getting into trouble with them...

Like they used to.

"Yes, I know," Bumblebee said, "But have you ever wondered-ssttss-how safer Sam's life could have been? It was my last promise to Sam and I intend to keep it. I think it would be for the best if she didn't know for now."

Optimus let out a deep and low sigh, "If that is what you wish, Bumblebee, we will honor it."

Bumblebee sensed the disappointment in his voice.

Was it too much to ask?

Was he asking something he'd regret later on?

Bumblebee could only nod. Optimus would never know, but that was one of the hardest things he's ever had to ask a family member. He didn't want this, but he knew he needed it. Logyn was all he had left. She was all he had left of Sam and Carly. Bumblebee remembered how much Sam was a danger magnet. He remembered how he'd wake up in the early mornings just to make sure Sam was still sleeping in his bed. He had to make sure he wasn't gone, not like before; not like back home when everyone he loved instantly vanished from thin air.

He wouldn't let this happen; not to her; not like on Cybertron.


End file.
